Gone Fishin'
by David Falkayn
Summary: Ron goes fishing with Oscar and his father to decompress and get advice in the aftermath of chapter 16 of Double Entendre. My thanks to daccu65 for the use of Oscar and his other original characters.


Go Fish

A Double Entendre Vignette

_**Middleton High School**_

Ron let out a mournful sigh as he stood watching his best friend, Kim Possible, sitting on a bench next to her…well…her all but official…boyfriend…Josh Mankey. _Mankey…sounds too much like Monkey…_The pair were holding hands and talking to each other with brief periods of laughter and giggles. For the blond youth watching, it was an altogether bittersweet scene.

"Everything okay, Ron?" A now familiar voice inquired with friendly concern.

"Yeah, Oscar." Ron answered back in depressed tone, "Everything's just badical."

His eyes drifting to the laughing couple on the bench, Oscar at once sussed out the reason for his friend's funk. Patting the blond boy on his shoulder, the varsity wrestler suggested, "Tell you what…why don't you let me buy you a soda and a slice of blueberry pie at Edna's Diner? I know blueberry pie always cheered me up—bet it works for you too."

Closing his eyes tight as he saw Josh and Kim touch foreheads, Ron slowly nodded his head, "All right. Nothing for me here anyway. Let's go."

_**Edna's Diner**_

"Hey, Oscar! Your usual?" Edna, a portly gray-haired matron with a grandmotherly smile, called out as the high school wrestler and his new friend sat down at an empty booth.

"Yeah, thanks, Edna and the same for my buddy over here." Oscar replied as his lips turned up in a huge grin. "You're in for a treat, Ron. Edna makes the world's best blueberry pie."

"For that, young man…" The diner's owner laughed, "You two get extra big slices and a free scoop of ice cream to go with it."

"Sounds good." Ron mumbled as Edna brought the young men's orders over to them and set them down on the table.

"Here you go. Just holler if you need anything else."

"Thanks, Edna." Oscar grinned as he shoved a fork full of pie in his mouth. "This is gonna be a rare treat soon." The wrestler chuckled as he explained, "Right now I'm a little underweight, but we start practicing in November and that's when I'm really going to have to watch my weight."

Taking a bite of his blueberry pie, Ron was pleasantly surprised at the sweet taste. "This is good!" He exclaimed as he took a sip from his drink.

"Yeah." Oscar replied as he took another bite. "My Dad and I discovered this place a little after we moved in. It's sorta like a place we used to go to back home. Good food…good people…and it's open twenty-four hours. Which is a good thing when my Dad has to pull the third shift or when I'm cramming for an exam."

"What does your dad do for a living?" Ron asked as he took another bite of pie.

"My dad's a foreman. He works for Mickman's Earthmoving." Oscar answered back, "Back home in North Dakota, he was a shift supervisor at a quarry. Mom…" the youth lowered his head, "…she passed on over the summer."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Ron consoled in a low voice.

"It's not so bad now." Oscar replied with a sad grin. "She would have been the first to tell us to live our lives and not dwell too much on the past. Well, the old house…" He shook his head, "Too many memories. Me and Dad were both kinda looking for a change in scenery, so when an old war buddy of his who works for Mickman's told him that they were looking for a good blade operator, he put in for the job and got it."

Taking a sip from his iced tea, the varsity wrestler asked, "So, what about your parents? What do they do?"

"Dad's an actuary and Mom doesn't work." Ron replied, "They're not home much, so I pretty much fend for myself most of the time."

"Oh…" Oscar, sensing that this was a sensitive subject, shifted tack. "What sort of stuff do you like to do…I mean when you're not at school or off with Kim?"

Brightening up somewhat, the blond youth responded, "I like to cook and play video games and watch movies and TV. What about you?"

Chuckling, Oscar replied, "I like being outdoors. Hunting, fishing, camping…in fact, Dad and I were planning on going fishing at Lake Middleton tomorrow—you know, take advantage of the three-day weekend. Why don't you join us?"

"I don't know…" Ron shook his head as memories of Camp Wannaweep again tried to force themselves into his mind, "I don't do so well out in the woods."

"We're not exactly going into the woods." Oscar responded with a reassuring grin. "We're not even taking the boat this time. We're just going to fish from the dock. You haven't been fishing before—have you?"

"No." Ron shook his head, "Knowing my luck, I'd get snagged by the hook while I was casting."

"I've been caught by the hook a time or two." Oscar laughed, "It happens to all of us at least once. But you really should come with us. You know what the great thing about fishing is?"

"No." Ron chuckled, "What?"

"It forces you to stop for a while and just relax. You look like you could go with a little downtime. I know I could. It's been a pretty stressful week…"

"Tell me about it." Ron sighed, "Even though Kim says she's forgiven me for what I did…I can tell…" He shook his head, "I messed up…bad."

"Well…spending a day on the lake will give you a chance to put everything in perspective and give you a chance to just get away from everything for a little while." Oscar suggested, tempting, "Give it a try and see if you like it. You don't have anything else planned for tomorrow—do you?"

"Not really." Ron shook his head, "Kim told me that she had stuff she had to do around the house and that she's got a date with Mankey that evening…so…I'm free."

"It's settled then." Oscar, pretending to not notice how his friend had referred to Kim's boyfriend by his last name, practically spitting it out, paid the check, waving off Ron's offer to pay his share, "Nah…I got it this time. You get it next."

"Deal." Ron smiled back.

"All right then, Dad and I'll be by to pick you up at five in the morning tomorrow." The varsity wrestler laughed at his friend's reaction to the news of having to wake up early on a weekend. Got to get an early start if we want to catch the fish while they're biting."

_**Lake Middleton**_

"Oscar tells me you've never been fishing before." Mr. Williamsen, a muscular man of average height with close-cropped reddish brown hair and wearing a button-down work shirt with blue jeans and boots said as he and the two teenagers with him entered Mackson's bait and tackle shop near the lake.

"No, sir." Ron answered back as the Oscar's father handed the blond youth a brochure.

"You'll need a fishing license. Jack over there…" He pointed to the man behind the counter, "Can sell you one. They're not that expensive, but if you're short of cash…"

"No, sir." Ron shook his head as he took out his billfold, "I'm okay. My folks left me plenty of cash for stuff like groceries and all while they're away on their trip."

Remembering what his son had told him about how sensitive the young man seemed to be about his parents usually being absent, the construction foreman nodded his head and answered with a gruff, "Okay. We'll take care of that when we check out. Next thing we need to get is some bait. We're gonna be goin' mostly after bass…"

"So you use a different lure for each type of fish?" Ron, his curiosity piqued, asked.

"Yeah." The older man responded, "But we're gonna keep it simple for your first time." He took a lure and held it up for the young teen to see. This is what we call a crankbait. Perfect for bass. When we get to the lake, I'll show you how to attach the lure to your line and everything. Won't take long and you'll be casting with the best of us."

Several minutes later, after purchasing several different varieties of lures and a fishing license for Ron, the three anglers left the shop and, opening his tacklebox within which the older man had his lures, lines, and everything else neatly arranged, Mr. Williamsen placed the new purchases in their proper places.

"I like to keep a neat tackle box just like I keep my toolbox—everything organized and in its place. That way I know where everything is at a glance—even when it's dark and I can't see." The older man explained. Closing the box, he grinned, "Okay…let's see if the bass are biting."

Reaching the dock, Mr. Williamsen handed Ron a rod and reel. "Okay, son…I'm gonna show you how to tie on your lure and then you can do it yourself. Watch me now…" The older man said as he step-by-step showed the younger man how to properly attach his lure and then, cutting it, handed it to Ron. "Okay now…your turn. Take your time."

His skill in tying knots and arts and crafts coming through, it didn't take long for Ron to tie on the lure, earning a nod of approval from the older man. "Good job, Ron. Now, me and Oscar are gonna show you how to cast and then you can do it."

"Okay…" Mr. Williamsen said as he patiently guided Ron through the process. "Try doing it this way…" He instructed as he made his cast. Watching as the young man imitated his actions, the older man nodded his head, "Much better. Let's grab us a seat on the dock. We're gonna be here a while." He said as he sat down on the dock edge with his some beside him and Ron taking the other side.

"A lot of fishing is just soaking in the nature." Oscar said as he took a deep breath. "No jostling in the hallway…no bickering or sniping by students…"

"No Mr. Barkin yelling 'Come here, Stoppable!'" Ron laughed.

"Exactly." Oscar nodded his head. "Just us and the fish."

"Oscar tells me you're on the student paper now." Mr. Williamsen stated as he took a sip from the portable coffee mug next to him.

"Yes, Sir." Ron nodded his head, "Did he also tell you that I screwed up my first story?"

"No." The older man shook his head and then asked, "You fix your screw up?"

"I printed an apology and retraction." Ron confessed, "But I'm not so sure the screw up is completely fixed."

"Why not?"

Shaking his head, the blond youth admitted, "She told me that she forgave me and that she accepts my apology and all, but…" he shook his head, "…I feel like something's changed. That she doesn't trust me anymore…not like she used to."

"Must have been some screw up." The older man said, "Wanna talk about it?"

Letting out a breath, the youth moaned, "I might as well…the entire school knows about it." Shaking his head, Ron unburdened himself as he related the entire story about how he had misquoted Kim and then, for the first time ever, had been sidelined by his best friend when a mission came up, and then the aftermath where he had to be rescued by Tara because he was bound up by the villain while Kim rescued Brick.

"Sounds like the both of you had a bad week." Mr. Williamsen stated after he had heard the younger man's tale. "I remember one time…this was when your mother and I were first going out, Oscar…I screwed the pooch with her. I can't remember exactly what I did, but it was bad enough where she wouldn't talk to me for an entire month. I tried everything to get her to talk to me…bought her flowers…candy…bought tickets to the county fair…everything…but not a single word for that entire month."

"What got her to finally talk to you, Dad?" Oscar asked.

"Well…I figured that she'd finally had enough of me and that it was over, but I didn't want it to end between us without her knowing how I felt about her and how sorry I was I hurt her and that I hoped she'd find someone better than me. So…I worked up the courage to go to her and tell her how I felt."

"So…" Ron asked, "What happened?"

After a brief chuckle, a warm smile appeared on the older man's face. "She proceeded to bless me out for a good half hour straight about how stupid and how much of an idiot I was. Then she made me take her out to dinner and square dancing." Wincing, Mr. Williamsen quipped, "It was her way of paying me back. If you knew how much I hate square dancing…The thing I'm trying to tell you, Ron, is that right now she's feeling very hurt and emotions are still a little raw. You need to give her some time and just let her know that you're genuinely sorry and that you're there for her. And…you have to show her that this was a one-time only thing and that you're not going to screw up like this again. And…oh yeah…when she pays you back for it…and she will…just take your medicine like a man."

"Oh…I've learned my lesson, Mr. Williamsen and she has a twisted mind when it comes to paybacks. I'm sure what she's got planned is going to be something I'm gonna remember for a long time." Ron exclaimed as his lure bobbed.

"You got a bite, Ron…now remember what I taught you…"

"Wow! You got a big one!" Oscar exclaimed as Ron began reeling in his catch.

"Careful, Ron…Play him a little more…" The older man advised. "That's it. He's getting tired…a little more…"

After a brief struggle, Ron reeled in his catch. "I didn't know they got that big!"

"He's a big one all right." Mr. Williamsen remarked as he patted the younger man on the shoulder. "That's a large-mouth bass. I'd say about two pounds. That's pretty darned good for your first catch."

"I'll say." Oscar grinned, "Remember my first catch, Dad? I think it was a fingerling."

"See…" The older man said to Ron, "Something good happened today. We all have our good days and bad days and we all do stuff that we're sorry for later. What makes a man, son…" The older man advised, "Is how you handle the situation after the mess up. Do you let it beat you down? Or…do you pick yourself back up, dust yourself off, figure out how you messed up and then try your best to fix it? How you answer those questions determines the type of man you are." Pausing for a moment as he regarded the freckle-faced boy standing before him, he declared, "From what I've seen and heard, it looks to me like you've owned up to your mistake and you're trying to do right by your friend and everyone else." Placing a hand on the younger man's shoulder, the construction worker declared, "That's how a man behaves. You're gonna be all right, son. Now…how's about us seeing if we can get ourselves another one or two of those for dinner tonight."

Several hours later, Ron found himself back at his home, waving goodbye to his new friend and Mr. Williamsen, carrying a fishing rod and reel that the older man had given to him, insisting that he keep it for the next fishing trip. Smiling, the blond youth trekked his way back into his empty home. Climbing up the stairs, he checked on his little rodent companion, smiling as he saw the naked mole-rat snoozing in his make-shift bed. Looking out his window at the Possible home, he sighed as he saw that the light was out in his best friend's room. "Must still be out with Monk…Mankey." Ron surmised as he let out a sigh of resignation. "I'm not going to give up on us, Kim. I'll do whatever I have to—even if it means watching as you go out with Monkey…I mean Mankey. I promise you Kim, I'll do whatever it takes to earn your trust back."


End file.
